


If You Are Going Through Hell, Keep Going

by OrigamiPrincess



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Blood, Blood and Injury, Car Accidents, Family, Gen, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Mild Description Of Injury, Number Five | The Boy Whump, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Protective Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-15 17:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19300891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrigamiPrincess/pseuds/OrigamiPrincess
Summary: If they were being totally honest, Klaus wasn't entirely to blame for this whole situation.Five and Klaus get into a car accident.Warning for some description of blood and injuries.





	1. Oopsies

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I have been hammering out my Fluffernutter fic, I promise. I just got stuck. 
> 
> I've also been working 12+ hour days on set which has been absolutely exhausting.
> 
> I do bring Five with me and manage to get some writing in, but it isn't always as productive as I would like. Especially not if my calltime is 5:30 am.
> 
> I tried to write this whole fic in one sitting, but that's not really working, so I decided to post it as a multi-chapter fic so you guys didn't have to wait for an update and I got the benefit of your feedback as I finished the fic.
> 
> As it says on the tin, there's mention of blood and injury, so don't read if that turns you off. Nothing graphic, but you can't have a car accident without some injuries.
> 
> Enjoy!

The first thing Five noticed was that his entire face _hurt_. His left cheek felt too swollen for his face and pulsated with a throbbing so intense it made his vision gray. His world revolved around every thud of his heart reverberating through his circulatory system and flooding his face with waves of pain.

 

He kept his breathing as even as he could, doing his best to breathe through the pain. If he was in pain, there must be more pressing matters to deal with and to master his body he had to master his mind.

 

Slowly, he became aware of other sensations. His leg was also screaming along with his face, but felt strangely distant from his realm of control. The stink of burning explosive powder hit him next, hanging around his senses like dense fog. Something rough and tight clung to his chest in a band causing every breath he took to feel bruising and raw.

 

He pried his eyes open and blinked furiously to banish the bright sparks dancing in his line of vision. Spiderwebbed glass caught the surrounding light and dispersed it in a crystal-like fashion. It was strangely pretty, some of the light colored by a brilliant red substance spread sparsely over the cracks.

 

Everything hit him at once.

 

He and Klaus were driving out to buy bubble bath of all things. Klaus had run out and it was only sold at this small store beyond the edge of town and would Five _pretty please_ go with him? Five had only acquiesced because he literally had nothing else to do and he was incredibly bored. He naturally took the wheel because for one, he could drive and Klaus couldn't. Then there was the matter of the fact that he had seen Klaus drive and his goal didn't seem to be anything but to crash like he had with the ice cream van. So call Five crazy, but he very much preferred this current driving situation.

 

Klaus had been chattering about whatever Klaus chattered about when, mid-breath, Klaus let out this loud, inhuman _shriek_. Five, understandably startled, had jerked his hands, which also happened to be gripping the steering wheel. Things got a bit blurry after that, but Five was fairly certain he could put two and two together.

 

Carefully, he began the assessment of his body. His head and left cheek were raw and screaming at him in equal measure. His chest and ribs seemed more stunned than anything, some slight pain from the seatbelt but nothing sharp. His arms and hands felt whiplashed and bruised, but otherwise seemed to be intact. His right leg had a worrying, stabbing pain on the upper portion of his thigh but beyond that, his other leg and both feet seemed to be okay. Grunting, he shifted to try and get a better look at his leg. Something metal protruded from it, leaking blood sluggishly. He tried to get his hazy brain to focus and remember the anatomy book he had studied in the apocalypse, mapping the route of the femoral artery and overlaying the position of the metal in his leg. It took far longer than it should have, but he didn't _think_ he had nicked it because, obviously, he was still alive and some time seemed to have passed after the crash. Plus, the piece of metal seemed far enough away from what he remembered of the femoral artery's location, which confirmed his shaky diagnosis.

 

He was lucky he and Klaus were wearing seatbelts.

 

Wait. Klaus.

 

Five whipped his head so quickly to the passenger side that he had to wait for the spots to subside before he could assess anything. Once they did, he breathed a quick sigh of relief before fully taking in the scene.

 

Klaus sat slumped against the passenger window, which was cracked and streaked with blood. His left bicep sported a nasty cut, turning his pastel green shirt a garish brown. He was eerily still and pale and Five had to stare hard for about a minute before he felt comfortable that Klaus was actually breathing. Definitely not the best circumstances, but Five felt fairly certain this was in the realm of things he could handle.

 

Grunting, he forced his numb hands to undo the clasp of the seatbelt, fingers fumbling. The sudden release of the pressure on his chest was an immense relief, though he had to remind his neck and body not to slump forward automatically. Having accomplished their task, his arms fell bonelessly back to his lap. He shifted in his seat, testing his body's range of motion. Other than some twinges, the pain range seemed to remain at an acceptable level.

 

"Klaus," his voice rasped, raw with the burning air. "Klaus. Wake up."

 

Klaus stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Five gave a small growl of frustration and threw his right arm up to shove Klaus' shoulder.

 

"St'p 't," Klaus groaned, head shifting against the window and smearing some blood.

 

"Klaus!" Five said sharply.

 

Klaus jerked upright, slamming the back of his head into his headrest while his hands flew up to a defensive position in front of his face. Five gave a wince in sympathy. Klaus blinked owlishly as he seemed to take in his current situation, eyes flickering wildly before settling on Five.

 

"Five…?" Klaus breathed, forehead scrunched up in confusion. At this angle, Five could see more of Klaus' face. The right half of his face was covered in smeared blood, running into his mouth. Klaus brought a hand up to his head, probing his temple gingerly before pulling his fingers away to study them. He made a face before swiping his arm across his mouth, smearing the blood into a garish smile. His eyes seemed to focus on Five.

 

"You're hurt," he stated before alarm overtook his expression. "Five? What- the car?" He scrambled into a more upright position before hissing and doubling over, panting.

 

Five had to stop himself from making a move towards his brother. He didn't want to upset the equilibrium he had a tenuous hold of currently and his brother would get his bearings soon enough.

 

"Jesus, that hurts," Klaus muttered, as he uncurled himself carefully. His hands drifted down to his own seatbelt clasp. "What…" he trailed off, brows furrowing as he fumbled with the release.

 

"We crashed," Five replied dryly.

 

Klaus just looked at him blankly for a long moment before realization dawned on his face.

 

"Shit," he breathed. "Shit!" He grabbed his curls, heedless of the blood seeping out in earnest from his forearm with the added pressure.

 

"Hey, whoah-"

 

"This is all my fault!" Klaus moaned, knuckles clenched white. "Oh God, I did this. How could-" He cut himself off, tugging painfully at his hair. " _Shit._ "

 

Five was at a loss. Of all the reactions he had expected from Klaus, this definitely hadn't been one of them. Klaus had been one of the mitigating circumstances of the accident, that was certain, but that definitely wasn't the most pressing matter they had to deal with. Five eyed the fresh blood dripping down Klaus' arm.

 

"Hey, Klaus," he began as softly as he could. Klaus continued to moan and beat his head with his fists. Five's non-existent patience vanished. "Would you shut up? It doesn't matter how we _got_ here, what matters is what we do next. So stop it with your ridiculous self guilt because, as much as I hate to admit it, I am going to need to use both our brains to get us out of here. Do you understand?" He hadn't meant to be as scathing as he sounded, but it did get his brother to stop with the self recrimination and glance over at him. His eyes looked so _broken_ that it was all Five could do to brush it aside.

 

"Alright," Five nodded once. "How badly are you hurt? Other than your forearm." Five gestured vaguely towards the bloody gash.

 

Klaus glanced down at his arm as if he had never seen it before. "Ah," he said mildly.

 

Five was trying to be patient, he really was. "Care to elaborate?"

 

Klaus gave a sharp bark of laughter before cutting himself off with a wince. "God, that hurts," he said through shallow breaths.

 

Five was going to murder him. He was going to murder Klaus right now in this wrecked car on a back road in the middle of nowhere.

 

"Chill, old man, sheesh," Klaus grumbled playfully. "You clearly didn't spend as much time with your BFF Hazel as I did." Five was about to say something biting to hurry this process along, but Klaus cut him off with a casual wave of his 'Hello' hand. "Um, ribs hurt like a bitch. Head? Doesn't _feel_ too serious, I am not fuzzy." He paused, eyes studying the cracked windshield. "Powers still intact, yay." He did a halfhearted celebratory fist pump.

 

Five gave an internal sigh of relief. He could work with that. "Okay. So I need you to-"

 

"Hold up, it's your turn," Klaus turned to him.

 

"My turn for…?" Five asked slowly, train of thought derailed.

 

"Injuries. List 'em."

 

Apparently he had underestimated the severity of his head injury when he just stared at Klaus blankly for a long moment before registering what Klaus had asked. Judging by Klaus' face, it definitely wasn't a point in his favor.

 

"Yeah. Um. Probable concussion, possible soft tissue damage to my face, though the severity is unknown at this time. Stab wound in my right leg, but the object is still intact and appears to have missed the femoral artery. Now, I need you to-"

 

"Jesus, are you alright?" Klaus interrupted yet again. He was maneuvering himself closer to Five's face to inspect it.

 

Five gritted his teeth. "No, dumbass. We were in a car crash, of course I am not alright."

 

Klaus got that wounded expression on his face again, like he was a kicked puppy. Five heaved a heavy sigh through his nose.

 

"Look, I can't go outside and see where we ended up. I need you to go outside and tell me what you see."

 

Klaus studied Five's face a moment longer before nodding and giving a jovial smile. "Sure thing, short stack. Just a mo'." His grin turned full on feral when Five growled. He wriggled back to his own seat before testing the door handle. It resisted for a harrowing moment before giving way with a horrid _screech_ and letting in the hot, damp air of July. Klaus stood up gingerly, unfurling his gangly frame, before stepping out of Five's view.

 

It was difficult to keep track of how long he had been gone, Five realized with rising alarm. Head wounds were always a serious prospect and this one seemed to be a doozy. He could hear Klaus muttering to himself, but it was difficult to gauge exactly how far away he was. He had to stifle his panicked gasp when Klaus appeared on his side of the car, rattling the door handle.

 

"Sorry, sorry," he grinned good-naturedly. "Can you unlock it?"

 

Five was pleased his response time was quicker as he directed his hand to pop open the lock.

 

Klaus pried the door open, creating a momentary cross breeze that was heaven on Five's face.

 

He must have closed his eyes because Klaus was tapping his uninjured cheek gently. "No sleeping, Five. Ben says that's not allowed if you have a concussion. Now, let me have a proper look at you."

 

"Klaus," he growled as Klaus began to study his cheek. "I need to know-"

 

"Yes, yes, don't get your panties in a twist," Klaus brushed aside his protesting hands. "We're in a ravine, near that river just outside of town. Car is totaled, in case you were wondering. Ben thinks it's about five o'clock, so it isn't long enough for the others to realize anything is amiss yet."

 

They had been unconscious just under an hour. Perfect. He hissed when Klaus shifted his pants to get a better look at his leg. Klaus grimaced.

 

"Gonna need to wrap this to staunch the bleeding," he muttered, peering into the backseat. Five just watched his brother, blinking back the encroaching haze. Klaus' manic energy was gone and someone almost unrecognizably cool and collected had taken its place.

 

The tearing of fabric sharpened his awareness as Klaus ripped apart his bloody shirt. "Not the best of bandages, I know, but I promise I am completely disease free and up to date on all of my vaccinations." He grinned cheekily at Five. Five just stared back, unimpressed. "Come on, we're even the same blood type! Shut up, Ben, I know that's not how it works." He shot a glare over his shoulder.

 

That's right; Ben was here. Maybe he actually had two working brains at his disposal after all.

 

Klaus looked aghast, so that must have been said out loud. "Rude! I will have you know that my brain is working perfectly _and_ I happen to be sober. You can't ask for anything more!" He gave a hiss off to his left. "You don't get an opinion in all of this. You're the reason we are here in the first place!"

 

That last statement didn't make much sense, but he didn't have time to wonder about it because Klaus had tied his ruined shirt around Five's leg and pulled _hard_.

 

Blackness swallowed him.


	2. Old Dog, New Tricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Five have to make it out of the ravine before they drown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continued writing several hours after I was going to give up.
> 
> I am getting tea and I am going to bed.

"-ive? Five! Come on! Wakey, wakey! Diego will kill me if I was responsible for killing one of our family members. Five!"

 

"'m 'wake," he mumbled, tongue feeling sluggish and swollen.

 

"Thank Christ," Klaus breathed. Five cracked open an eye to see Klaus' face inches from his, green eyes clouded with worry. "I should have warned you I was gonna do that, sorry."

 

"H'long w's I out?" Five was still trying to fight his tongue into submission.

 

"Not long. Few minutes. Would you shut _up_? I don't have time to worry about your drowning when my brother is _bleeding out,_ " Klaus flashed his teeth to an empty spot near the hood of the car. "Sorry. Okay. So, here's the plan. I'm gonna-"

 

"Yer arm. 'S still bleeding."

 

"I- what? Oh. It's fine." Klaus gave a shrug. "I'm gonna- _ouch_. Jesus, Five! Warn a guy!"

 

Five squeezed his hold on Klaus' arm tighter giving him a nonplussed look. He held out his other hand insistently.

 

"What?" Klaus moaned. Five just made a grabby hands gesture. Klaus gave a long suffering sigh before ripping off the rest of his shirt and shoving it into Five's hand. "There, happy?"

 

"Ecstatic," Five deadpanned as he wound the fabric above the wound and pulled it tight. Klaus hissed sharply, but didn't pass out which was a good sign.

 

What was less of a good sign was the deep red and purple mottling that was scattered all over Klaus' now exposed chest. Five frowned.

 

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," Klaus continued pointedly. "The road is up that ravine. But it's also gonna rain in a bit and this portion of the riverbed floods very quickly, or so I've been told, so we are in a bit of a pickle."

 

Five's mind is feeling more and more numb by the moment. "Can you just get to the point?"

 

"So I can't move you, but we are going to be washed away if we don't move," Klaus continued as if Five had never said anything. "But if we stabilize that piece of metal in your leg, we can more or less safely move you. Well, at least Ben thinks so. I never paid much attention to our first aid training."

 

That was a blatant lie and they both knew it. Klaus may not have paid attention when they were children, but Five knew damn well he had learned many things from his mysterious venture into the Vietnam War and that had seemingly included some competent first aid skills.

 

Five decided not to call him on it. "Probably," he agreed. "But there's still the matter of getting back to the road." He gestured to the very tall wall of dirt and rock that made up the walls of the ravine.

 

"Ah, don't worry about that," Klaus dismissed Five with a grin. "I've always wanted to give you a piggyback ride!" He gave a squeal of delight.

 

"No," Five said flatly.

 

"Aww, come on Five-y. Consider it bonding time!"

 

"I am not climbing on your back and trusting your toothpick arms to carry us safely up the side of a ravine."

 

"A, that's offensive; my arms are more like bamboo rods than toothpicks. And B," he continued haughtily, "You don't have a choice, oh brother mine. It's either drown or have some quality time with your favorite sibling!"

 

"I'll drown, thanks. Plus, Vanya isn't here," Five shot back.

 

"Alas, my wounded heart!" Klaus gripped the skin over his heart dramatically. "Sadly, you don't get a say in the matter because it's already been decided." He gave Five a beatific grin before hitching a breath and releasing a short cough into the crook of his elbow. Five furrowed his brow, but didn't have time for much else before Klaus started to manhandle him.

 

"Klaus, I am about to stab you in your eye," Five snarled, vision graying out at the edges.

 

"Whatever you say!" Klaus responded cheerfully as he propped Five up with both feet dangling out the car door before turning around and crouching in front of him. "Hop on."

 

Five glared at the tiger tattoo high on Klaus' right shoulder. "No."

 

Klaus sighed and looked back at him from over his shoulder. "Five, do you really have a better idea?" Fat raindrops began to plink on the ruined windshield.

 

Five gave a heavy sigh. "Fine," he grumbled. "But not a word to anyone, do you understand? I will cut out your tongue."

 

Klaus smiled at him good naturedly. "Hop aboard the Klaus Express!"

 

"I hate you," Five ground out as he gingerly maneuvered his good leg to straddle Klaus' back. Using that leg as an anchor, he slid the rest of his body onto Klaus, jarring his injured leg as little as possible as he snaked his arms around Klaus' neck.

 

"All good?" Klaus asked.

 

Five just grunted.

 

More gently than he could have imagined, Klaus wound his arms around Five, carefully avoiding direct contact with the metal shard, and eased to a standing position. Other than his breath hitching, Klaus seemed to be alright, so Five remained silent.

 

Their car had landed about fifty feet away from the ravine wall. Rocky landscape yawned out in front of them. Klaus picked his way across the terrain slowly, careful not to jostle Five too much. Warm blood seeped into Five's clothing from the gash in Klaus' arm, though Klaus seemed to take no notice.

 

Fat raindrops turned into a torrent, quickly soaking the both of them to the skin. Klaus' back became so slippery that Five had to double his grip in order not to slide right off. The rocky terrain turned muddy and Klaus' pace slowed even more as he navigated the puddles.

 

Klaus' breathing became slightly labored the longer they walked. Five squinted at the encroaching wall of rocks. It didn't seem they were any nearer than they were when they had started. When Klaus' arms began to tremble slightly with exertion, Five broke his silence.

 

"Let's take a break," he suggested magnanimously, mostly because he didn't want to end up being dropped.

 

"I'm fine," Klaus said shortly.

 

"Well, that's the biggest lie of the century," Five snorted.

 

Klaus was silent. Five shoved his mounting worry down. Silent Klaus was always the calm before shit hit the fan.

 

"I'm serious. We can take a break-"

 

"If I stop now, I might not start again," Klaus ground out. "Now back off and let me concentrate." He gave a handful of harsh coughs as he continued to pick his way closer to the wall.

 

Five shut his mouth so quickly, he almost bit his tongue. Silence blanketed the two of them as rain continued to fall relentlessly.

 

"Sorry," Klaus said quietly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He gave another cough as he doggedly continued on.

 

He seemed to be waiting for some kind of response, so Five said, "It's fine." Klaus bobbed his head in a nod of acknowledgement as silence fell once more.

 

Five measured time by heartbeats, his own and his brother's. His face throbbed in time with Klaus' watery squelches, relentless and all encompassing. Klaus' heartbeats matched his harsh breathing, fast and short.

 

\-----

 

An eternity later, they reached the bottom of the wall of the ravine. It was littered with straggly pine trees and shards of rock. Klaus' heart raced under Five's hands, alarmingly fast. They both shivered with the rain, heads craning up to evaluate their latest obstacle.

 

Klaus shifted, wading over to a boulder. "Just… need a… breather…" he panted, delicately depositing Five on the wide surface. Klaus had one hand braced on the rock as he hunched over, his chest heaving with rasping breaths. Water sluiced from his sodden curls, blood cleaned from his face.

 

Five shifted with worry. "Hey, why don't you sit-"

 

Klaus doubled over with a violent retch. He coughed and sputtered as he clung to the boulder with a shaking arm. Five was worried he was going to faceplant when Klaus finally straightened, wiping a wrist across his mouth. "Jesus Christ, sorry."

 

"I somehow think Jesus Christ wouldn't mind at all," Five said sardonically, doing his best to hide his worry. It wasn't like Klaus to be anything but honest with other people, unless something serious was wrong with him. But even Klaus wouldn't be stupid enough to withhold an injury in this scenario, which could mean he may not be aware of any other injuries.

 

Klaus gave him a crooked smile. "Don't think so hard, you'll sprain something."

 

Five gave him a nasty look. He shifted to punch Klaus, jostling his leg and stealing his breath away.

 

Klaus' gaze locked on to the injury as his face morphed into a frown. "Okay, break time's over. Up and at 'em." Klaus shifted, exposing his back to Five once more. "Your steed awaits."

 

"No," Five said evenly.

 

Klaus didn't even bother with the theatrics, just shot him a worn look. "Come on Five, we've been through this."

 

"Klaus, you can barely stand. You're white as a sheet and your respiration rate hasn't decreased even though we've been at rest for several minutes. If I didn't know better, I would say you're hiding something from me, but even _you_ wouldn't be that stupid." Five phrased it as a question deliberately.

 

Klaus deflated a little, before steeling himself again. "I told you my ribs were probably bruised. I'm just winded and a bit nauseous. Look, we can lick our wounds as much as we want _after_ we aren't in danger of drowning like good ol' Lucas here." Klaus gestured at the spot they had just come from with a disgusted look. "Okay?" He proffered his back again.

 

Five took a dubious, if not concerned, look at his brother's trembling form before scooting over to the edge of the boulder and climbing back onto Klaus' back.

 

Things went south immediately. The moment Klaus stepped forward, one of his legs buckled. The world seemed to freeze, Klaus and Five stuck hovering inches from the muddy rocks. Five's breath was caught in his throat. He braced for the all encompassing pain.

 

It never came.

 

Instead, blinding blue light poured from his brother's hands as they stayed frozen, hovering in mid-air.

 

"Oh," Klaus breathed, eyes studying his now glowing palms.

 

Five just let out a strangled laugh.

 

Klaus continued to stare at his hands, stunned, before glancing over his shoulder and nodding. He carefully lowered his hands and Five's stomach flew to his throat as they were, in turn, carefully lowered to the muddy rocks. Dirty water washed over Five's injured leg, causing him to grimace. So much for trying to keep the wound clean.

 

Klaus let out a manic laugh that turned into a bout of coughing. After finally catching his breath, he turned to Five, eyes gleaming. "I know how we're getting out of here."

 

\--------

 

It turned out, Klaus had been doing some practicing with his powers without his siblings. He had gotten fairly good at catching things in mid-air, making them hover for a few seconds before setting them harmlessly on the ground. He had just, apparently, _forgotten_ about it.

 

"It could happen to anyone!" Klaus said defensively, trying his best to dodge Five's ire.

 

"How could you just _forget_ about something you've been practicing for _weeks_?" Five ground out vitriolically.

 

"To be fair, we were in a _literal car crash_!" Klaus shouted back before his breath hitched and it turned into a bout of coughing. Five was beginning to grow concerned by that.

 

"Can you even levitate a person that long?" Five asked skeptically. He did not want a repeat performance of almost eating dirt.

 

"I dunno, I've never tried it," Klaus shrugged, wiping his mouth on his wrist. "I've been able to make myself float for a bit, though, so it's worth a try."

 

"Nothing sounds more inviting to me than plummeting fifty feet to my death," Five said flatly.

 

"Ben thinks it's worth a try," Klaus reasoned. "Plus, it's not like we have any other options."

 

"That seems to be the theme of today," Five groused. He wished so hard it physically _hurt_ that his powers would answer him. He had theorized early on that any sort of major head trauma affected his powers and with his doozy of a concussion, that theory seemed to be holding up.

 

"Okay, are you ready?" Klaus clapped his hands and rubbed them together in anticipation.

 

"As I'll ever be," Five sighed in defeat.

 

Klaus closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, clenching his fists. For several moments, nothing happened. Then a glow emanated from Klaus and Five was plucked from the dirty water by some invisible force. He bit back his flinch of surprise. He hovered a few more seconds above where he had been resting on the ground before he began to climb higher.

 

"Let me know when you're up," Klaus ground out, teeth clenched against the strain.

 

"Okay," Five agreed.

 

His climb up was the most harrowing two hundred and twenty-seven seconds of his life.

 

Klaus' power inched him upwards at an excruciatingly slow rate. Five was careful to study the cliff face itself and not his destination or the ground. Rain poured in torrents around him, dripping down his clothes and into the abyss below him. At one point, Five could feel his brother's power waver as he bobbed dangerously before he began his upward climb once more. When he was finally level with the cliff's edge, Five called down to Klaus. "Okay, three feet laterally onto the cliff."

 

Five was tugged forward, hovering about five inches above the ground, before he was dropped unceremoniously onto the unforgiving grass.

 

While it was better than being dropped fifty feet, the impact still jarred through Five's injured body, causing his vision to go completely gray for a few moments as he breathed through the pain.

 

"Five?" he heard his brother's faint call, laced with anxiety.

 

"'m fine!" he hollered back, voice pinched and high. He carefully moved closer to the crumbling edge and peered down at his brother.

 

Klaus seemed to be doubled over again, all traces of the blue glow gone. Water lapped around his calves. When he didn't seem to be in a particular hurry to keep going, Five decided to intervene. "You coming?" he shouted down.

 

Klaus held up his 'Hello' hand in a sloppy thumbs up sign. Straightening, he braced himself again and blue light poured from his hands once more. Klaus began to ascend the cliff in the same manner that Five did, slowly and staggeringly. The closer he got, the more noticeable his trembling was, and Five's worry spiked anew.

 

When Klaus was about two feet from the top of the cliff, the glow abruptly disappeared and he plummeted a few feet down. Five yelped in surprise. Klaus's arms shot out and shoved his hands into the crevices on the ravine. His cry of pain as the force of gravity was abruptly halted was something Five never wished to hear again. He clung to the cliff's face, panting harshly.

 

"Klaus," Five began, but Klaus looked up at him and his expression made the words die in Five's throat. Deliberately, he closed his eyes once more and removed himself from the cliff's face. He ascended at a quicker pace this time, practically launching himself over the edge and right into a bush a few feet from where Five sat.

 

He lay still for so long that Five began hop-crawl over towards him. Then he let out a groan before turning over and throwing up.

 

By the time Five got to his side, he was dry heaving. Tentatively, Five put a hand on his brother's back, rubbing circles until Klaus collapsed beside him, spent. Klaus didn't even crack an eye open, just lay there panting. This time, Five spotted the blood at the corner of his lips before the rain washed it away.

 

Frantically, Five glanced at the puddle of sick Klaus had just thrown up and his stomach dropped when he spotted what looked like coffee grounds dispersed in it.

 

"Shit," he breathed, turning to Klaus and beginning to palpate his abdomen. The bruising had worsened over the past hour it took them to get up here, but an especially ugly black bruise bloomed on the upper left portion of his abdomen, the skin tight and swollen. The spleen.

 

Five let out a long, colorful string of curses. Of _course_ Klaus had internal bleeding, damn him. Only Klaus, the absolute _imbecile_ would get a lacerated spleen and _not even realize_.

 

Five looked up frantically, scanning the road in both directions for any drivers. The road was deserted.

 

Five let out a cry of frustration. They escaped a car crash and drowning, only to have his brother bleed to death only feet from the road. Five scanned the road again, spotting a payphone about a fourth of a mile away. If only he could access his powers. If only- no. He was a trained assassin. He had survived the damn _apocalypse_ and was the four freakin' horsemen. He wasn't going to let a stupid thing like _limits_ stop him.

 

He curled his hands into fists, clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. Blue sparks danced around them as he _pushed_ , grabbing at his slippery power and _seizing it_.

 

He popped into existence so close to the payphone that he had to catch himself before he face planted into it. His body buzzed insistently and unpleasantly and his brain spun sickeningly. Blindly, he groped in his pocket for the change he always kept there and inserted it into the slot, concentrating hard on pressing each number correctly. The line rang as he clung to the receiver, swallowing back bile.

 

"Hello?" Diego's voice rang out. Five couldn't remember a time he was happier to hear it. "Hello? If you aren't gonna say anything, asshole, I swear-"

 

"Diego." Five's voice was weaker than he had expected, a tremor laced through the name.

 

"Five? What the hell? What happened? Where are you?" Diego spat out his questions so fast, Five literally saw stars.

 

Five took a few calming breaths.

 

"Five? Five, answer me," Diego continued, now sounding near panic.

 

"Car crash," he slurred. "Mile marker 7 past the old freeway. Klaus 's hurt."

 

"Hold on Five, we're coming to you. Are you hurt? Five, are you hurt?"

 

"Hurry," he whispered, dropping the receiver from his numb hands before plummeting into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter!
> 
> Kudos and comments make my world better!


	3. Who Needs a Spleen, Anyways?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego comes to the rescue. Five and Klaus talk about feelings. Yuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard one to end. I really appreciate everyone's support!

"...God...he...okay?"

 

"...Here! I see…"

 

"...Careful... Jesus…"

 

The voices filtered through the heavy blanket of unconsciousness like sounds under the water. The words garbled and twisted, seemingly making sense before morphing into another thing entirely.

 

Where he was, wherever that was, wrapped around him like a warm embrace. There wasn't any pain, but why would there be? Pain wasn't even a possibility. His consciousness floated, safe and warm and-

 

"...ive? Five? Come on, man, wake up."

 

He wrinkled his nose in disgust and shoved the sound away. He felt light and unburdened, better than he had in… how long?

 

"Wake up, dammit. Klaus isn't going to be very happy-"

 

Klaus. Klaus was fine. Klaus wasn't his problem. Klaus wasn't here. Klaus was-

 

Five let out a gasp of a drowning man as he shot straight up from wherever he had fallen.

 

"Jesus Christ!" Diego sprawled backwards away from him. "You almost gave me a heart attack-"

 

"Klaus," Five breathed. He rounded on Diego. "Klaus!" He tried to scramble to his feet but only succeeded in a half crouch before he pitched forward onto Diego's chest.

 

"Whoah, whoah, hey," Diego braced his back, holding him firmly down. "We've got Klaus. Luther is over there right now-"

 

" _No_. Klaus. His spleen. Diego, his spleen!" He pushed at Diego's chest weakly, scrabbling to get free. "He'll hurt him!"

 

"Hey, I know we give Luther a lot of crap-"

 

" _You don't understand_!" Five growled, head tilted up to bore his glare into his brother's face. "He's bleeding internally! Luther will hurt him!" He knew his brother knew his own strength, but no one seemed to understand how precarious a position Klaus' body was in.

 

Diego's eyes widened as he finally comprehended exactly what Five was getting at. " _Shit_." He carefully extricated himself from Five as he scrambled upright and took off towards the direction of Klaus at a sprint.

 

Five panted, thoughts running faster than his overtaxed brain as the world spun around him lazily. Nausea bubbled in his stomach as he fought to keep down bile. He lost the battle right as he heard Diego and Luther loudly arguing.

 

A soft hand rubbed his back as he dry heaved, each contraction squeezing the vice that held his brain. When he glanced up, Allison's worried face watched his own. She cocked her head to the side slightly and raised her brows. She had been healing very well since her vocal cords were damaged and she even was able to speak a little, but was still hesitant to. She relied on a marker and pad, but sometimes just used her expressive face to communicate. Five wasn't the least bit surprised she had been so successful in Hollywood.

 

He gave a small nod as he spit the rancid taste out of his mouth. Yes, he was fine. "Klaus?"

 

Allison's face grew pinched. "Diego," she forced out, voice rough and painful.

 

Five gave another nod, squeezing his eyes shut. Even without his sight, he could feel the world moving like melting wax, wavy and uncoordinated. His stomach clenched again and he swallowed convulsively to try and soothe the sick feeling away. He felt exactly as he used to after Reginald's special training sessions with him when he had been forced to blink until his body collapsed from exhaustion. It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered right now but his brother.

 

He heard footsteps and Diego murmuring a soft litany of words Five hoped were for Klaus. A car door was opened and he heard quiet apologies from Diego as leather and cloth rustled.

 

Heavy footsteps approached him. Five cracked an eye to see Luther kneeling next to him, taking over where Allison had been. His expression was so forlorn it made Five's heart ache.

 

"You ready to get in the car?" he asked softly.

 

"It's not you," Five mumbled, bracing his hands on the ground. Luther just wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Klaus. It's not you."

 

Luther gave a sad sigh. "I know I would have hurt him-"

 

"No," Five cut him off with a glare. "Y'wouldn't. Never. Just fragile ri'now."

 

"I have before," Luther admitted quietly.

 

That was something they were going to have to unpack another day. ""M ready," he stated, curling his arms around his brother's broad neck.

 

Luther curled his arms around Five hesitantly, like he thought he might break him. Five appreciated the sentiment for once. He shut his eyes as Luther took him towards the car, focusing on his breathing and not hurling on his brother.

 

"Come on," Diego's impatient voice called from the driver's seat as Luther nestled Five in the back next to Klaus. He was buckled in and the door shut. The car dipped when Luther joined Diego in the front. Luther hadn't even buckled his own seatbelt before Diego was peeling out and down the road.

 

"'ive?"

 

Five startled, opening his eyes. Klaus lay sprawled across the backseat, head next to Five's hip and feet in Allison's lap. His face was translucent and gaunt, but his eyes were clear as they peered up at Five.

 

"Y'kay?"

 

Five wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh so loudly and so sharply that he could rip all his emotions away. Of course his brother was more concerned about him than he was for himself. Ben may have been the best of them, but Klaus had always been the kindest of them. He had always done everything he could not to see his siblings in pain, even if that meant sacrificing his own happiness or dignity. Even as he spiraled into addiction, Klaus had always had a smile and a sly comment on his lips.

 

"Yeah," Five said softly.

 

"Yer crying," Klaus responded with a frown.

 

Startled, Five lifted a hand to his cheek. Sure enough, it came back wet. He didn't even have the energy to be embarrassed.

 

"I'm leaking," he corrected. "You're bleeding internally. It's been a wild day."

 

"Mmm," Klaus hummed. "'M sorry."

 

"What for?"

 

"F'r makin' us cr'sh." Klaus opened his eyes and looked pleadingly at Five. Five opened his mouth, but Klaus plowed on. "She startl'd me. Amy. Popped up b'tween us." Klaus made a 'poof' motion with his 'Hello' hand. "She ran 'way. Nev'r made 't home. 'E got 'er."

 

Five frowned, absorbing this information. At this point, blame was a moot point. Klaus seemed to be fixated on it, though. So Five did what he normally tried to avoid: he placed a tentative hand on Klaus' forehead. It was cold and clammy.

 

"It's in the past," he said gruffly. He was aware of the tears still falling freely from his eyes. "Just… just focus on you."

 

Klaus hummed again and let his eyes flutter closed.

 

\------

 

There had been a hushed argument on whether or not they should take Klaus to the hospital or back home to their mother. Luther argued that Klaus needed immediate care to which Diego countered that not only would their mother give him immediate- if not better- care, he also wouldn't be surrounded by all the dead residing at such a place. Luther had looked stunned, like he still didn't comprehend that Klaus couldn't just turn his powers off. To be fair, Five hadn't really thought much about it until after the Apocalypse That Never Was. Klaus wasn't exactly forthcoming about, well, anything concerning his personal life and anything gleaned from him was strictly by accident. Five himself hadn't even known until they began training Vanya and Klaus.

 

When they arrived at the manor, Diego parked diagonally across the street as he hopped out of the still running car and tore the back door open. He collected Klaus, more tenderly than Five had seen Diego handle anything, as he ran towards the front door Luther held open for him.

 

Allison slid out from the back seat and into the driver's seat, presumably to correct Diego's horrendous parking job. Luther approached Five and stood a bit away, probably waiting for Five to give the go ahead for help. He idly wondered where Vanya was.

 

"Lessons," Luther responded.

 

Five was really getting tired of his broken brain to mouth filter. He motioned to Luther that he was ready.

 

The manor was silent when they stepped inside. Diego must have gotten Klaus to their mother already.

 

Luther carried Five down to the infirmary. Five was having a hard time holding on to consciousness. His extremities were beginning to feel numb and dully Five wondered if it was shock due to blood loss or shock due to trauma.

 

The sharp smell of antiseptic stung his nose as they entered the infirmary. One half had been curtained off and Five vaguely recognized it as their 'surgery suite' from a long ago mission.

 

Diego lay supine on a low cot, blood draining through a collection tube. He wasn't unconscious, but he looked incredibly queasy.

 

Pogo emerged from behind the sheet. "Master Five," he greeted solemnly. "You can put him down over here, Master Luther." He indicated a pull out infirmary bed that had been set up in the corner next to the door.

 

As Luther carefully situated him on the bed, Allison arrived and made a beeline towards the makeshift blood donation center where Diego lay. Pogo ambled over to her as Luther fussed with his sheets. He was still soaking wet and shivering, but having Luther fret over him was beginning to make him antsy.

 

"Thank you, Master Luther, I can take it from here," Pogo interrupted, taking the sheet from Luther. "You can go and sit with Master Diego and Miss Allison," he said off of Luther's lost look.

 

As Luther left, Pogo began to run a line of saline. "I apologize, Master Five, but Grace needs me in surgery and I will not be able to treat your wounds properly until we are finished. I can only give you fluids until I can evaluate you further." He gave Five an apologetic look.

 

Five gave a tired nod. At this point, he didn't care one way or the other. Exhaustion tugged at him insistently, but he fought back. He didn't have time to let his body take over. He had to be conscious just in case.

 

At some point Allison came over to sit with him, holding his hand and rubbing circles on it with her thumb. His consciousness floated, never leaving completely but never providing anything more than hazy awareness. Diego had argued with Pogo over the amount of blood he was giving, threatening to take a pint out himself if Pogo didn't let him continue. He heard Luther pacing, his large form looming and silent. He listened as closely as he could for any sounds from the surgery suite, but all he gleaned was the insistent beat of a heart monitor and Grace's quiet commands.

 

Finally, Pogo emerged and headed over to Five. Luther snapped to attention and Diego sat up a little straighter, face pale from blood loss. Allison squeezed Five's hand tightly.

 

"Master Klaus will live," Pogo announced, garnering a chorus of relieved sighs. "He lost quite a lot of blood and Grace had to remove his spleen, but he will make a full recovery. Grace is getting him comfortable now. You all may see him soon." He retrieved one of the bags of blood that had been collected. "Now, Master Five, it's your turn."

 

Allison moved away to let Pogo have access to Five's side. The bag of blood was hung and attached to Five's IV. Five supposed it was very lucky all of them had the same blood type. Very convenient for Reginald to have live blood donors should his children get injured playing superhero.

 

Pogo was lining up sterile surgical instruments when their mother emerged from behind the sheets. "Klaus hasn't woken yet, but I will allow you all to see him one at a time." Diego was the first on his feet, though he did sway a bit. He glanced at Luther and Allison before pulling back the sheet and walking through it. Allison rolled her eyes.

 

Grace smiled after Diego before turning to Five. "Now, dear, tell me what hurts."

 

\-----

 

It ended up taking a grand total of five stitches and two bags of blood to plug his body's leaks and put him back together again. Grace said the gash on his head shouldn't scar, but the one on his leg most likely would. The metal had been a tricky piece of work to remove and Grace had insisted on light anesthesia for the procedure. Because of his concussion, he wasn't allowed to be knocked out fully lest he never wake again.

 

"You're very lucky," his mother had commented, brushing back his now dry hair. "You both are."

 

Five didn't doubt that in the least.

 

Vanya had come in halfway through Five's minor surgery frazzled and wild. Diego had to take her back to see Klaus before she would calm down. She came back out calmer, but almost lost it again when Pogo said she didn't weigh enough to donate her blood. In the end, she persuaded Pogo to let her, but it was only with the agreement that she donate a single pint.

 

As the anesthesia wore off, Five's anxiety for Klaus grew. He hadn't physically seen his brother since before his surgery and he couldn't seem to convince his brain that Klaus was alright.

 

So, between Vanya, Allison, Luther, and Diego, they had arranged Five and Klaus' beds together in the middle of the room. Scattered around them on the floor were pillows and blankets as none of their siblings wanted to leave their side.

 

That was how Five found himself, ensconced in one of the fluffiest blankets in existence, watching his brother claw his way to consciousness.

 

The room was dim and it was late, the chorus of his sleeping siblings' breath a balm to his nerves. Anesthesia always made him wide awake and jumpy after, an unpleasant side effect for an assassin to have.

 

"Klaus," Five whispered, hoping to head off any post surgery panic.

 

"Mmm," Klaus moaned, cracking an eye. "Five," he breathed.

 

"Yes," Five agreed.

 

"Ben," he murmured, eyes focusing on a spot in front of him. He was quiet for a long moment before he nodded marginally. "So I gather we didn't die."

 

"No," Five confirmed. "We will live to see another day."

 

"Yay us." Klaus shifted before grimacing. "Ow. Who the hell did I piss off enough to gut me?"

 

"You had internal bleeding and a lacerated spleen," Five explained. "Which I am seriously hoping you didn't realize, otherwise we are going to have to have a talk about hiding serious injuries."

 

Klaus' eyes widened. "I swear I thought it was like a broken rib or something, scout's honor!"

 

"You say that like you were actually a scout," Five scoffed. When Klaus' expression turned panicked, he sighed. "I believe you, dumbass. But you did pull some pretty stupid stunts out there. What the hell were you thinking, pushing your powers so hard?"

 

"I was thinking about not dying a horrible death! And you're one to talk, Mr. I-am-going-to-teleport-with-a-concussion," Klaus shot back.

 

Klaus seemed braced for a fight, but Five just snorted. "Touche."

 

Silence blanketed the room as Five lay back and stared at the ceiling.

 

"Your levitating was pretty neat," Five said after a long pause.

 

"I _was_ pretty badass," Klaus agreed.

 

"No. Just neat."

 

"Like you could have done better," Klaus countered.

 

"I definitely could have. I did, in fact. Who was able to get to the phone to call for help?"

 

"Yeah, well, who got us up the cliff?"

 

"Who caused the crash in the first place?" Five retorted jokingly.

 

Klaus fell silent. Shit. That was definitely not the thing to say. Just when he thought he could interact like a normal person, he just goes and screws it all up.

 

"Look, Klaus-"

 

"I know." Klaus sounded defeated. "It's not my fault. Everyone keeps saying that. Ben won't shut up about it. But _I_ was the one who startled you and caused the car to lose control to begin with."

 

Five chewed on his lip, considering his next words carefully. "Look. I'm not saying you weren't a mitigating factor-" Klaus gave a wince. "-but we wouldn't have made it out of that ravine if it wasn't for you. I… I know I'm not great at…" he grappled for the word.

 

"Being human?" Klaus supplied.

 

"Communication," Five responded, shooting Klaus a scathing look. "But I care what happens to you. To all of you. I couldn't live knowing that you were dead." His voice cracked on the last word. He fiddled with his IV, trying to decide how to continue.

 

"We aren't, though," Klaus smiled. "Dead. It's sweet that you think death would get you out of this. Nope, my little psycho, you're stuck with us. You have to put up with Allison trying to get you to wear normal clothes and Vanya plying you with fluffernutter sandwiches and Diego throwing spitballs at your head while you're reading."

 

Five didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent. Klaus, apparently, took this as an invitation to continue.

 

"You'll have to put up with Luther talking about the moon without killing him and Ben discussing all that science mumbo jumbo and me nursing you back to health when you get a cold." Klaus sighed in contentment. "It'll be like a Disney movie."

 

The collective held breaths around them alerted Five that his siblings weren't as blissfully asleep as he had first thought.

 

"You're such a moron," Five grumbled.

 

"You adore me," Klaus chirped back.

 

Silence lapsed once more. Five struggled with what to say, now that he knew he had an audience.

 

"Are… are you in pain?" It was a stupid question and they both knew it. Grace had only allowed Klaus tylenol without codeine and that just wasn't going to cut losing an organ.

 

Klaus just shrugged. "Been better, been worse. Just don't expect a piggyback ride anytime soon."

 

Five hissed. "You swore you'd never mention that!"

 

"Oops, sorry!" Klaus said, not looking sorry in the least.

 

Five turned away, irritated.

 

Several moments passed before Klaus broke the silence again with a yawn. "You're not alone anymore, Five. You know that, right? We all care for you."

 

"Pain makes you sentimental. Go to sleep," Five commanded.

 

"Yeah, yeah," Klaus muttered before shifting a bit and going still, breaths evening out into sleep. Only when Five was certain everyone else had also succumbed so sleep, did he murmur, "I love you too, you moron."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew where I wanted it to end, and it did end there, but it sort of... sputtered? 
> 
> Writing from Five's POV is difficult when he isn't fully conscious to see everything.
> 
> I really hope I didn't ruin it!
> 
> Thanks for your support and kudos and comments! They mean a whole lot to me!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really would love your feedback. I will finish this fic no matter what, but any encouragement is definitely welcome!
> 
> Thanks for your kudos and comments! They mean the world to me!


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